Cleaning rod for firearms



Feb. 16, 1937. A L. s RILEY 2,070,844

CLEANING ROD FOR FIREARMS Filed Jan. 17, 193e 2 sheets-shee-vl 1 Feb. 16, 1937. s. R|LEY l CLEANING ROD Foa FIREARMS sheets-sheet 2 Filed Jan. 17, 1936 @NEMS NB,

.A wwwnwwaiaii NN Ne N5 .M1 m @NQ L@ uw Patented Feb. 16, 1937 STATES PATEN OFFICE l1 Claims.

This invention relates to a cleaning rod for guns, rifles and pistols.

One of the important objects of the invention is the provision of a cleaning rod made in sections which may be disassembled when not in use and folded up compactly, permitting it to be carried in a vest or other small pocket.

Another object is the provision of a rod of the character described, which may be assembled or disassembled with ease and rapidity.

A further object is the provision of a cleaning rod in which all the parts thereof are permanently connected so that there is no danger of losing r any of the parts when in a disassembled condition.

An additional object is the provision of a device which is simple, eiicient and durable and of a low cost of construction.

Other objects of the invention will be described hereinafter.

My invention contemplates a cleaning rod in a plurality of sections comprising two terminal sections, one of which is adapted for carrying cleaning means and the other adapted to serve as a handle, and a plurality of intermediate tubular sections, all of said sections being mounted on a flexible connecting member such as a cord, chain or cable, which is permanently attached at one n end to the first of said terminal sections and at its other end loosely though undetachably connected to the handle terminal, the intermediate sections being strung end to end on the connecting member between the two terminal secc. tions. Each of the intermediate sections com- 35 prises an outer tube and an inner tube of the same length, :slidably mounted therein and adapted to be projected from one end of the outer tube for telescoping into the next section to form a slip joint when the parts are assembled. After 40 being assembled into rod form, the parts are held together by the connecting member and for this purpose, the handle terminal is provided with means for drawing said member taut. In disassembling the rod, the connecting member is released at the handle end, which permits the parts to be separated and to be folded together in parallelism to iorm a small compact package which may be carried in a pocket.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form 'of cleaning rod constructed in accordance with my invention and adapted for use in cleaning a gun or rie, the rod being shown in assembled condition;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central sectional view on an enlarged scale of the handle end of the cleaning rod in assembled position;

Fig. 3 is a similar view, but partly in elevation, of the cleaning end of the rod;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the cleaning terminal looking downwardly in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of an intermediate tubular member of the rod, showing the inner tube in projected position;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the cleaning rod in disassembled condition;

Fig. '7 is a longitudinal central sectional View of the handle end of the rod, showing it provided with a wooden handle;

Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional View on line 8-8 in Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the handle terminal shown in Fig. 7, with the adjoining tubular section folded together in disassembled position;

Fig. l0 is a side elevation of an assembled rod with a wooden handle -designed for cleaning pistols and revolvers;

Fig. 11 is a side elevation of said rod in disassembled position;

Fig. 12 is a side elevation of the cleaning terminal and the cord or chain with locking member;

Fig. 13 is a longitudinal central sectional View of the handle end of the pistol rod; and

Fig. 14 is a longitudinal central sectional View of the handle end of a pistol rod without the wooden handle.

In the drawings, there are shown two forms of rods, a rod adapted for cleaningv guns, rifles and similar rearms, and a shorter form, adapted for pistols and revolvers.

In Figures 1 to 6 inclusive of the drawings, there is shown a cleaning rod adapted for use in connection with rifles and guns, but without the wooden handle; in Figures 'l to 9 inclusive, the gun rod is shown equipped with a wooden handle; in Figures l0 to 13 inclusive, there is shown a pistol rod having a wooden handle; and in Figure 14, the same is shown without a wooden handle.

Referring to Figures l to 6 inclusive of the drawings, the gun or rifle cleaning rod is shown as comprising a terminal section 20 adapted for carrying cleaning means, a terminal section 2| serving as a handle, a plurality of intermediate tubular sections 22 all of like construction, and a flexible connecting member 2li for holding all the sections in assembled relation. Each of the sections 22 is made up of an outer tubular member designated as 22, and an inner tubular member 25 tted in the outer member but slidable therein, the two members being of the same length. The inner member of each tubular section, when it is projected out one end of the outer tubular member, is adapted to enter the bore of the adjacent outer member 22 to form a slip joint in assembling the sections together in extended relation.

The cleaning terminal 2li is of solid construction but is provided with a reduced shank portion 2l adapted to nt within one end of the outer tubular member 22 of the adjacent tubular section and to push the inner tubular member outwardly at the other end to form a slip joint with the'next tubular section. Adjacent its outer end, the cleaning terminal is provided with a thin fiattened portion 28 having an elongated longitudinal slot 29 for holding a cleaning rag, and its outer end may be provided with a longitudinal threaded bore 35 in which may be mounted a cleaning brush or any suitable construction.

The handle terminal 2l is of heavier tubular construction than the other sections, having a longitudinal bore 32 adapted to nt the projected end of an inner tubular member 25, which bore opens out one sid-e of the handle from a. point adjacent its inner end to and out its outer end through a longitudinal slot 33. The outer end of the handle is slightly enlarged and provided with an cuter thread 34. Loosely mounted on the handle section is a sleeve 35 having an interior thread adapted tomesh with .the thread 34. The inner end of the handle section is provided vvith an annular enlargement 36 for retaining the sleeve on the handle section at its inner end.

The lexibleconnecting member 24, which may be of any suitable form such as a cord, chain or cable, but is preferably a wire cable, is fastened at one end in any suitable manner to the cleaning section 25. As shown, the cleaning section in its inner end is provided with a longitudinal bore 38 opening out one side and the end of the cable is inserted in this bore, turned out- .wardly through the side of the cleaning member .and securely fastened in that position by soldering 39 or other means. The cable 24 is threaded through all the intermediate tubular members and through the handle section and is provided at that end with a locking member 40, which may be of any suitable form, but as shown, is a ball, the end of the cable extending therethrough and being fastened by solder 4l or by other suitable means to the ball. The cable is of such vlength that when all the sections are assembled,

as shown in Figure l, the ball is in close proximity to the outer end 0I the handle.

In assembling the various sections to form the rod, the handle end is held uppermost with the cable released, then the intermediate section adjacent the cleaning section is pushed down- Waidly on the cable to force the lower end of its outer tube over the reduced shank 21 of the cleaning terminal. This causes the upper end of the inner tube 25 of that intermediate section to vproject out of the outer tube a distance equal to :the length of the shank 21, and the next intermediate section is then pushed downwardly in the same manner as the rst, and so on with succeeding sections, until iinally the upper end of the cable is gripped and the handle is pushed onto the upwardly projecting end of the inner tube of the top intermediate section and the `cable moved in through the longitudinal slot 33 land the ball positioned at the outer end of the handle. To draw the cable 24 taut to hold the various sections of the rod tightly assembled, the sleeve 35 is moved to the outer end of the handle and in mesh with the thread 34, where a few turns of it will be suicient to accomplish this purpose.

'Io disassemble the rod, the sleeve is disengaged of the cable is then pulled from the thread 34 and allowed to slide down the handle to the enlargement 36 and the ball end out of the longitudinal slot 33 and released until the ball engages the inner end of the slot as shown in Figure 6. This releases a suilicient amount of the cable to permit the various sections to be separated from each other and when the inner tubes of the intermediate sections are fully nested in the outer tubes, all the sections of the rod may be folded into parallel relation with each other to form a small compact' package which may easily be carried in a vest or other pocket.

In Figures 7 to 9 inclusive, the rifle rod is shown as having a handle section provided with a wooden handle portion to aord a better grip in use and to present a more attractive appearance. This involves only some slight changes in the construction of this section. As thus modified, the handle section comprises a tubular member 45, having its inner end enlarged at 46 and adjacent said enlargement being provided with a threaded portion 4l. The tubular member 45 is provided with a longitudinal slot 49 through which the bore 50 in the tubular member opens out one side thereof. The slot extends from the outer end of the tubular member 45 to a point adjacent the threaded portion 41. Loosely mounted on the tubular member 45 is a wooden handle portion 52, which may be of any exterior form, but is shown as provided with a series of annular closely associated ribs 54 adjacent its outer end, for affording a firm grip. At its inner end, the handle portion is provided with an enlarged hub 55, in which is mounted a ferrule 55 having an interior thread adapted to mesh with the threaded portion 41 on the tube. A metal ferrule 58 may be mounted on the outside of the hub. The wooden portion 52 is provided With a longitudinal slot 6!) co-extensive with the slot 49 in the tubular member.

The cable 24 in this instance is provided at its free end with a flat cap piece 6| adapted to engage the end of the Wooden handle, the inner side of the cap having a circular projection 62 of smaller area than its inner face, which is adapted to t in a corresponding depression in the end of the wooden handle portion.

This form of handle does not change the assembling and disassembling operations of the parts as hereinbefore described with the exception of a slight difference in drawing the cable taut' and in releasing it, due to the presence of the wooden handle. The wooden handle is at all times threaded at its inner end on the enlargel ment 41 on the tubular member 45, but when in a disassembled condition, the inner end of the Wooden handle is in close proximity to the enlargement 45, with its longitudinal slot 60 in alignment with the longitudinal slot 49 in the j tubular member 45. When the parts are assembled and the cable is drawn through these slots into the tubular member, with its end piece 6I adjacent the end of the wooden handle, then a few turns of the wooden handle on the tubular In Figures 10 to 14 inclusive, I have shown a cleaning rod adapted for use in connection with pistols and revolvers, which is constructed on a smaller scale with a smaller number of intermediate sections than the gun rod. The pistol rod is shown both with and without a wooden handle piece and both of these constructions are similarl to the two corresponding forms of the handle terminal in the gun rod, with the detail exception that the two ferrules 56 and 58 in the wooden handle of the pistol rod are made in one piece instead of in two pieces, as shown in the gun rod. In view of the fact that the construction of the parts of the pistol rod are identical with those of the gun rod, I have used the same reference letters in Figure 10 to 414 inclusive that I used in Figures 1 to 9 inclusive. The method of assembling and disassembling the parts of the pistol rod are identical with the methods pursued in connection with the gun rod.v

It will be observed that a cleaning rod made in accordance with my invention is not only simple in construction and operation, but eicient and durable and of comparatively low cost. The use of a double tube form of intermediate section imparts a relatively high degree of stability and strength not only at the joints between the sections, but throughout the length of the rod, and the provision of a screw adjustment for tightening the flexible connecting member eliminates any possibility of looseness at the joints between the different sections.

It is further to be noted that the construction of my cleaning rod is such that the various sections are capable of more or less rotation in relation to each other, which, when the rod is in use, permits a free turning of the cleaning member to follow the rifling in the barrel of the iirearm. This insures an eii'lcient cleaning of the riing as well as of the bore. When, for instance, the cleaning member carries a cleaning rag in its slot, which should make a fairly tight t with the bore of the rearrn, parts of the rag will be forced into the rifling, which will result in turning the cleaning member in one direction or the other as the rod is pushed back and forth in the barrel of the rifle or other firearm, and my construction permits this turning movement freely without producing any turning strain on the handle to interfere with the grip of the user. This is a distinct advantage.

It is to be understood that my invention is not to be limited to the precise form herein shown and described, since it is capable of embodiment in various other forms within the purview of the following claims.

What I claim is:

l. A device of the character described cornprising a cleaning terminal, a tubular handle terminal provided with an exterior thread on its outer end, a plurality of tubular sections intermediate said terminals, each of said tubular sections comprising an outer tube and an inner tube of the same length slidable therein, said cleaning terminal having a shank projecting into the outer tube of the adjacent tubular section for forming a slip joint therewith and for projecting the inner tubes of all of said sections toward the handle terminal to form slip joints between all the other sections, a flexible connecting member having one end fastened in said shank and extending through said tubular sections and said handle and having its other end provided with a locking member, and a sleeve slidably mounted on said handle portion and having an interior thread for engaging the threaded end of said handle terminal for tightening said connecting member to hold all of said sections in assembled relation.

2. A device of the character described comprising a cleaning terminal, a tubular handle terminal provided with an exterior thread on its outer end, a plurality of tubular sections intermediate said terminals, each of said tubular sections comprising an outer tube and an inner tube of the same length slidable therein, said cleaning terminal having a shank projectinginto the outer tube of the adjacent tubular section for forming a slip joint therewith and for projecting the inner tubes of all of said sections toward the handle terminal to form slip joints between all the other sections, a flexible connecting member having one end fastened in said shank and extending through said tubular sections and said handle and having its other end provided with a locking member, and a sleeve slidably mounted on said handle and having an interior thread for engaging the threaded end of said handle terminal for tightening said connecting member to hold all of said sections in assembled relation, said handle terminal being provided with a longitudinal slot permitting said X1 connecting member to be released for disassembling said sections when said sleeve is disengaged from said exterior thread.

3. A device of the character described comprising a cleaning terminal, a tubular handle terminal, a plurality of tubular sections intermediate said terminals, each of said tubular sections comprising an outer tube and an inner tube of the same length slidable therein, said cleaning terminal having a shank projecting into the outer tube of the adjacent tubular section for forming a slip joint therewith and for projecting the inner tubes of all of said sections toward the handle terminal to form slip joints between all the other sections, a exible cable having one end. fastened in said shank and extending through said tubular sections and said handle and having its free end provided with a locking member, and a sleeve threaded on the outer vend of said handle terminal for tightening said connecting member to hold all of said sections in assembled relation, said sleeve being slidable on said handle terminal when unthreaded and said terminal having a longitudinal slot for permitting said cable to be released to allow all of said sections and terminal to be disassembled and to be folded in parallel relation.

4. A device of the character described comprising a cleaning terminaha tubular handle terminal, a plurality of tubular sections intermediate said terminals, each of said tubular sections com.. prising an outer tube and an inner tube of the same length slidable therein, said cleaning terminal having a shank projecting into the outer tube of the adjacent tubular section for forming a slip joint therewith and for projecting the inner tubes of all of said sections toward the handle terminal to form slip joints between all the other sections, said inner tubes being continuous in said intermediate sections for stiffening said device, and means for holding said terminals and sections in extended assembled relation, said means when released holding all of said parts permanently connected together yet permitting them to be `folded in parallel relation to form a small compact package.

5. A device of the character described comprising a cleaning terminal having a shank of reduced diameter, a tubular handleterminal, a plurality of tubular sections intermediate said terminals, each of said tubular sections comprising an outer tube and an inner tube of the same length slidable therein, a flexible connecting member having one end fastened in said shank and extending through all said tubular sections and having its other end provided with a locking disk, said handle terminal being enclosed by a Wooden tubular handle piece in threaded engagement therewith adapted when turned in the right direction on said tubular terminal to'tighten said connecting member to hold all said parts in assembled relation, said handle terminal and said handle piece being each provided with a longitudinal slot permitting, when said slots are in register with each other said connecting member to be released for disassembling said sections.

6. A device ofthe character described comprising a cleaning terminal having a shank of reduced diameter, a tubular handle terminal, a plurality of tubular sections intermediate said terminals, each of said tubular sections comprising an outer tube and an inner tube of the same length slidable therein, a flexible cable having one end fastened in said shank and extending all through said tubular sections and having its ether end provided with an enlarged member for engaging the outer end of said handle terminal, said handle terminal being provided with a wooden tubular handle piece in threaded engagement therewith adapted when turned in the right direction on said tubular terminal to tighten said cable to hold all said parts in assembled relation.

7. A device ofthe character described comprising a cleaning terminal having a shank of reduced diameter, a tubular handle terminal, a plurality of tubular sections intermediate said terminals, each of said tubular sections comprising -an outer tube and an inner tube of the same therewith adapted when turned in the right direction on said tubular terminal to tighten said connecting member to hold all said parts in assembled relation, said handle terminal and said handle piece being each provided with a longitudinal slot permitting said connecting member to be released for disassembling said sections.

8. A device of the character described comprising a cleaning terminal having a shank of reduced diameter, a tubular handle terminal, a plurality of tubular sections intermediate said terminals, each of said tubular sections comprising an outer tube and an inner tube of the same length slidable therein, a flexible connecting member having one end fastened in said shank and extending through all said tubular sections and having its other end provided with an enlarged member for engaging the outer end of said handle terminal, said handle terminal being provided with a sleeve in threaded engagement therewith adapted when turned in the right direction on said handle terminal to tighten said connecting member to hold all said parts in assembled relation, said handle terminal being provided with a longitudinal slot permitting said connecting member to be released for disassembling said sections.

9. A device of the character described comprising a cleaning terminal having a shank of reduced diameter, a tubular handle terminal, a plurality of tubular sections intermediate said terminals, each of said tubular sections comprising an outer tube and an inner tube of the same length slidable therein, a flexible cable having one end fastened in said shank and extending through all said tubular sections and having its other end provided with an enlarged member for engaging the outer end of said handle terminal, said handle terminal being provided With a sleeve in threaded engagement therewith adapted when turned in the right direction thereon to tighten said connecting member to hold all said parts in assembled relation, said handle terminal being provided with a longitudinal slot permitting said connecting member to be released for disassembling said sections.

l0. A device of the character described comprising a cleaning terminal, a tubular handle terminal having an exterior thread on its outer end, a plurality of tubular sections intermediate said terminals, each of said tubular sections comprising an outer tube and an inner tube of the same length slidable therein, said cleaning terminal having a shank projecting into the outer tube of the adjacent tubular section for forming a slip joint therewith and for projecting the inner tubes of all of said sections toward the handle terminal to form. slip joints between all the other sections, a flexible connecting member having one end fastened in said shank and extending through said tubular sections and said handle terminal and having its free end provided with a locking member, and a sleeve mounted on said handle terminal and having an internal thread for meshing with said exterior thread for tightening said connecting member, said handle terminal having a longitudinal slot opening out its outer end for permitting said connecting member to be loosened when said sleeve is disconnected from the threaded end of said handle terminal.

ll. A device of the character described comprising a cleaning terminal, a tubular handle terminal, a plurality of tubular sections intermediate said terminals, each of said tubular sections comprising an outer tube and an inner tube of the same length slidable therein, said cleaning terminal having a shank projecting into the outer tube of the adjacent tubular section for forming a slip join therewith and for projecting the inner tubes of all of said sections toward the handle terminal to form. slip joints between all the other sections, a flexible connecting member having one end fastened in said shank and extending through said tubular sections and said handle and provided With a locking member on its free end, a tubular handle piece mounted on and enclosing said handle terminal, said handle piece being in threaded engagement with said terminal for tightening said connecting member,

and said terminal and handle piece being each.

provided with a longitudinal slot permitting said connecting member to be released to allow all of said elements to be disassembled and arranged in a compact package.

LESTER S. RILEY. 

